Narwhal: A Real Life Fairytale

Narwhal Whales

Here at the Narwhal Whales website we have collected information about and pictures of the narwhal, and hope to provide a good source for anyone who is looking to learn more about these majestic creatures which are widely unknown.

Even though the narwhal may look like a mythical creature or one from a fairytale, it is not. It is a real mammal that lives in the Arctic seas (more on the narwhal habitat). It is a cetacean with an appearance similar to a Beluga whale, and Irrawaddy dolphin.

The name narwhal is a derivation from an Old Norse word that means "corpse man" (nahvalr). This description is generally attributed to the fact that the narwhal whale has a white and gray coloring when fully grown. The name is further supported by the fact that the narwhal whale can lie belly-up for several minutes without much motion.

Narwhal whales are, however, known more for their almost unicorn-like tusk that springs from their forehead (in the male of the species), or so it seems. The tusk is actually a tooth which grows from the left side of the upper jaw and is twisted into a left handed helix. The narwhal tusk can but up to three meters long.

Narwhals are active mammals, just like most of the cetaceans, and feed primarily on cod. But, they have also been known to eat squid, shrimp as well as fish (i.e. halibut, redfish).